In the last few minutes of Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics looked much like they did near the end of games in the 2022 NBA Finals: When they needed a bucket, they couldn’t buy one.
That’s been the main criticism of Boston’s playoff execution in recent years. In clutch time, the Celtics’ iso-heavy offense is incredibly inconsistent. The offense can get meek and predictable — and sometimes, it only looks good when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are hitting crazy shots.
Brad Stevens knows this, and this offseason he found someone who was supposed to give Boston a different look, especially at the end of close games.